“F***ing Bob Nightengale. Shoulda known.”
That was Drew Smith at Philadelphia sports site The Liberty Line after needing to update their story on which teams would be playing in the 2026 Field of Dreams game following the initial announcement by the USA Today baseball columnist and reporter.
Nightengale seemingly broke the news early Sunday morning that Major League Baseball was bringing back the Field of Dreams game for the first time since 2022, and that it would be the Philadelphia Phillies taking on the New York Mets in Dyersville, Iowa, in June.
However, several hours later, Matt Gelb and Dan Hayes at The Athletic, as well as Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register, reported that the Phillies would face the Minnesota Twins in Iowa in August. Nightengale amended his report accordingly.
Correction: The Phillies are hosting the Minnesota Twins in the Field of Dreams Game in August, not the Mets. https://t.co/GdN2oYaEBM
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 24, 2025
“Corrections and clarifications: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the teams who will play in the 2026 Field of Dreams Game,” read an update at the top of Nightengale’s article.
Given that the correction came several hours after the initial report, many a Phillies and Mets outlet had to update and amend their stories on the game. Several outlets still had the erroneous information Sunday afternoon.
While perhaps not the greatest tragedy the world has ever known, it’s the latest in a long line of reporting gaffes for Nightengale, who has developed a reputation for needing his work double-checked and verified.
MLB will reveal its 2026 schedule on Tuesday, including the date of the Phillies-Twins game.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.